St. Paul's Best Excuse to Order Champagne
Downtown · St. Paul · French Brasserie / Seafood and Oyster Bar · Visit Website ↗
Reviewed June 24, 2026
Wingman Metrics
The wine list at Meritage lands with intention — this is not a restaurant that threw together a few Chardonnays and called it done. The French focus is immediately clear, and there's enough depth in Champagne and Burgundy alone to keep you occupied for the whole meal. Walking into a marble-topped oyster bar in downtown St. Paul and finding grower Champagne by the glass feels like a small miracle.
France is the undisputed center of gravity here — Champagne, Burgundy, and Loire get serious real estate, and the list is built around the food in a way that feels deliberate rather than decorative. The Loire selections, particularly Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie, are clearly chosen with the oyster bar in mind, and Burgundy reds and whites from notable domaines round things out for the red-wine crowd. Germany and Italy make appearances in a supporting role, and there's a measured New World section that doesn't overstay its welcome. Gaps are few; if you came here specifically for California cult Cabernet, you're in the wrong brasserie.
Twelve to twenty options by the glass is genuinely impressive for the Twin Cities market, and the inclusion of Champagne and rosé pours keeps the program from feeling safe and predictable. In season, grower Champagne by the glass is a real flex — not many restaurants in Minnesota bother. The rosé flight is a smart seasonal add that gives curious drinkers a reason to explore rather than default.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie NV — $52
Yes, the markup is real — about 160% over retail — but a crisp, saline Muscadet next to a dozen oysters at this oyster bar is one of the great cheap thrills in dining. At $52 a bottle, you're still getting one of the best pairings on the menu for not much money, and it drinks way above its humble price tier.
Grower Champagne NV (by the glass)
Most people see Champagne on a by-the-glass list and assume it's a generic non-vintage from a big house — something you'd find at an airport bar. Meritage has pushed grower selections into the glass program on a seasonal basis, which means small-production, terroir-driven fizz for roughly $18-22 a pour. That's the move. Order it before the oysters arrive and don't look back.
Grower Champagne NV (bottle)
By the bottle, grower Champagne here lands around $110 against a retail of roughly $55 — a 100% markup that stings more when you realize you could pour the same wine by the glass for a fraction of the commitment. Unless you're celebrating something that justifies the splurge, two glasses each beats the bottle math here.
Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie NV + Oysters on the half shell
Muscadet is basically engineered for raw oysters — the wine's lean acidity, stony minerality, and briny finish mirror exactly what's happening on the shell. At Meritage's oyster bar, this combination is why the Loire section exists on this list. Don't overthink it.
🔥 The Bottom Line
Meritage is the strongest wine program in downtown St. Paul and one of the more serious French-focused lists in the Twin Cities — the markups could loosen up, but the depth, staff knowledge, and by-the-glass Champagne program earn their keep. Send a friend here; just tell them to order by the glass.
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